Posted on 01/02/2010 12:57:48 PM PST by Blueflag
Glad to see that you got everything squared away. Being a close cousin to the Browning A-5, the Model 11 shares much of it’s robustness and easy of maintenance (very few parts interchange though).
I collect A-5’s and find that barring abuse, even the ones close to 100 years old operate well with just basic maintenance. Keep the magazine tube clean and either dry or very light oil.
If the gun has trouble cycling, if the rings are set up correctly (and it sound like you understand how they work) the next thing to check is chamber cleanliness. It can look clean, feel clean, and still be sticky enough to prevent proper extraction. Pull the barrel, wrap some 0000 steel wool around a bronze brush of the righs size, chuck the rod in a drill and polish away. That has solved extraction problems for every A-5 I’have had including my 1914.
Avoid lots of oil in the action, it’s not that necessary, and if you store the gun upright it will drain down the action spring tube and make the stock “punky” over time. Getting excess oil out of the wood is a pain.
That gun will outlive us all, no matter how much you shoot it. Please though, no steel shot, it will score the barrel and with a full choke, likely bulge the barrel as well. Stick to the softer non-toxics.
While most of the shotguns I have are of the more recent, tactical variety, this is one that I carry in my truck on an everyday basis. This picture doesn't do it justice, as it makes the shotgun appear more dark than it actually is. The wood is a medium walnut, and the leather ammo cuff is actually a light acorn brown.
This is my $25, "bought it at an antique store because the didn't know what they had" 1902 Iver Johnson Champion... It originally had a 30" barrel, and sat in my vault for about 5 years before I decided (out of boredom) to cut it to 18.25" (.25" above minimum for safety's sake) and use it as a truck gun. In Tennessee, if you hold a valid Handgun Carry Permit you can carry any legal longarm in your vehicle as long as there is no round in the chamber... Want to carry your AR-15 with a 100 round Beta-Mag? It's is legal as long as you don't have a round chambered!
I didn't want to risk losing an expensive rifle or shotgun, so I decided to build a short inexpensive shotgun. Since the longarm must stay in the vehicle, I would only be out $25 for the shotgun, and about $25 worth of material (and my time) for the leather ammo cuff that is laced onto the butt. It rides right between my seat and the console, action open, with the ammo cuff fully loaded and the first round (if needed) in the cup holder. What started out as a "boredom breaker" has become one of my favorite shotguns... Prints 00 Buck in about an 10" circle at 10 yards... And looks like an artillery piece from the muzzle end!
Regards,
Raven6
PS: A close-up of the ammo cuff... I ended up making 4 total, with 3 ending up as Christmas presents last month. I made mine look old, since the shotgun is 107 years old.:
I used to use 0000 steel wool, but got tired of trying to get rid of all of the little, short, steel "whiskers" that were left over/created in the process. I switched over to the green Scotchbrite pads and use the same process. They work a little cleaner - you just have to make sure and not get over-zealous with it. :-)
Regards,
Raven6
I did not mention the one I had was prone to go full auto and double or even triple. I never did figure out how to operate the action, with out assuming the widow maker position. I don’t know what ever happened to mine, just lost on the journey thru life, I guess.
barbra ann
I did not mention the one I had was prone to go full auto and double or even triple. I never did figure out how to operate the action, with out assuming the widow maker position. I don’t know what ever happened to mine, just lost on the journey thru life, I guess.
barbra ann
Yep, that was why the action tended to fire when slamming forward... the sear was made of a softer steel that wore easily... oops. BANG! Dead idiot.
To properly cock the action of the Model 1911 required a very long reach... one that only very tall men could accomplish. It was a really, really bad design.
Winchester wanted the model 1911 off the market sooooo badly that they were giving customers a free Winchester 1912 pump to people who traded their model 1911 in...
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